Learning to Trust
by YoungestCullen8
Summary: Peter Hale has always been the odd one out. With things changing at a rapid pace, he has only one friend to lean on. When he is the target of a new breed of hunters, he has to rely on an inside source to keep him alive. Trusting has never come easy to the oldest Hale. R
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This takes place after the mid-season finale. Except Derek and Cora don't leave. They lock themselves away but they don't exactly leave. Also Thierry and Terrence are in it because I just like the characters even though my timing with the shows timing is off.

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Things had been sort of quiet these last few weeks. With the Alpha pack disbanded and the druid gone, people were allowed to fall back into their daily routines. Well, some of them were.

It was too bad that the pack had kind of disbanded as well. Derek and Cora had retreated deep into the preserve, only coming out every now and then for food. Scott's dad had remained in town, much to the annoyance of the younger McCall. He didn't let that deter him when he wanted to do something. Melissa didn't regulate his activities anymore now that she knew he was sort of in charge of the remaining werewolves.

Ethan and Danny were going strong, as were Lydia and Aiden. The twins had settled in easily with the rest of the pack. Scott had done well integrating them into the normal life of a teenage werewolf. Stiles didn't say much about the younger twin being Lydia. If anything he just wanted her to be happy and she seemed as such. Isaac and Allison were testing the waters of the relationship that had formed between them. Scott was supportive if a little careful. He didn't say much about the two these days so they figured he was working it out in his own way.

When Derek and Cora walked away from the pack for a while, it left Thierry with the burden of watching over the kids. She and her brother had started working with Deaton, keeping their job on the police force as a back burner type deal. They were learning things that they had never thought of before and that made them very instrumental in forming tighter bonds with the rest of the pack.

Peter was the one who was left out in the cold. No one knew what he had done. He had started staying in Derek's new loft with Thierry. They had moved an extra bed in across the room. The two had formed a close relationship and now they could read each other without any words. It was purely body language, and that made him a little skittish when people talked about Jennifer. He always tensed up. Sometimes he wondered what Thierry was thinking when she watched him but she never brought it up so he didn't.

The oldest Hale really couldn't say anything when the remainder of the pack came over every Saturday to hang out and eat dinner. He spent most of his time talking to Terrence as the second oldest in the pack watched over the younger ones. Technically it was Scott's pack but he tended to defer to the older twins for guidance. Peter would feel gipped if he didn't know the kid was still a little wary of him. He was a smart kid for the most part.

They always ended up playing video games. Stiles brought his console on and they hooked it up to Derek's big screen. The now Beta wasn't around to snap at them about playing it loudly. They did tend to play it rather loudly, gunshots echoing in the large open space. It was just really calm around Beacon Hills.

So why was Peter running with a silver bullet lodged in his thigh?

He hadn't really done anything. He had been coming home from a lacrosse game. He had initially ridden with Thierry. Actually he had driven Thierry's motorcycle, making her ride bitch because he felt like it. She had just shaken her head at him and let him have his fun. After the game she had said she was going to the sheriff's station to talk to John Stilinski. The sheriff had cornered her as they were walking into the game and asked if he could have a little bit of her time. So after the game she had gone with him, leaving Peter to drive home.

He had stopped at a gas station to fuel up as a good will gesture to Thierry. He wanted to show that she could trust him with her bike when she didn't even trust Derek to ride it, not like he would. The twins pulled up as he was paying. They nodded in his direction but didn't otherwise say a word. He was halfway home when a car swerved out of nowhere and started tailing him. He revved the engine and opened the throttle, feeling the motorcycle under him jolt in response.

Unfortunately the car followed him. He couldn't do anything else because it would leave the bike too unpredictable and he was going well over a hundred miles an hour. He took a curve too sharply and the car nudged his rear tire. The front of the machine started shaking. There was no way he could retrieve what had been lost so he braced himself.

The breath was knocked out of Peter as his chest hit the handlebars of the bike as it hit the ditched and flipped. He went flying, back slamming into a tree. Luckily he was wearing a helmet that protected his head. Even a werewolf if he smashed his head into a tree going a hundred miles an hour, he wasn't certain he could come out of it.

When he rolled to his feet, he snatched the helmet off his head and winced. Thierry was going to kill him. He turned around and looked for the bike. It was warped, metal not in the places it should be. If he thought the dented helmet was going to get him killed, the bike was going to get him six feet under again.

He didn't have time to think about it as he heard the car come back his way. He took off into the woods, using scent to help him through the area. When he found a trail that he knew well, he put on a burst of speed. He had to get to a secure location so no one could track him.

His luck wasn't very good. They found him and fired at him. He dodged a few of them but one nailed him right in the back of the thigh. He couldn't stumble because that would break his stride and speed, but it left him with a limp. He tried to weave in and out of trees to keep them off his trail but it didn't work too well.

He burst from the bushes into the outskirts of town. Turning left, he headed towards the veterinarian clinic. Deaton was the only one who could do anything to help him. Still he pulled out his phone.

"Uh, Derek, I know you're gone for a good reason, but we have a problem. I've been shot and I have no clue what's going on. It would be really nice to have you around," he said into the phone as he pressed his back to a brick wall. "I need your help."

It pained him to say those words. When he did the best he could, he hit the end button and called another number. The first time it went dead immediately. He tried again and got someone.

"Thi, I need your help," he said.

"Where are you?" she asked him immediately.

He could hear wind whistling as a sign that she was moving. "Uh…" He looked around until he could find a sign to tell him where he was. "On the corner of Peterson and Parker. I'm heading to the vet clinic."

"Are you okay?"

"I'll fill you in when I see you."

Peter shoved his phone back in his pocket and started walking towards Deaton's clinic. Squealing tires told him he had been found. He started running as fast as he could. The car was coming after him faster than he could run. He took a sharp left and disappeared behind the houses. It was faster going on the street but he couldn't take another bullet to the leg. He could feel the wolfsbane in the bullet affecting him.

Luckily he made it to the clinic without being hit again. He collapsed right outside the door though. He drug himself across the asphalt to the door and slapped his hand against it. The sound was muffled so he was certain that Deaton didn't hear him. He tried to do the same thing again but it didn't work.

When he had given up, someone yanked his arm up and his body followed. He looked to the side and found Terrence's face filling his vision. He let the younger man tow him into the building. Deaton was standing on the other side. When he turned around, he immediately opened the swinging door and let them through.

Though he was usually gentle, Terrence manhandled Peter onto the metal table. Deaton undid his pants then had the younger werewolf flip the older onto his stomach. Peter grunted then glared at Terrence. The blond looked down over his nose at him. He didn't have time for a snide comment because Deaton was cutting into his flesh without any preamble. Peter dented the table as he gripped it hard with his hands. He could feel his claws poking him in the arm as they went through the table.

The pain ebbed away when a familiar hand landed on his arm. Peter looked up at Thierry as she took his pain away. He watched her veins turn black as she absorbed his pain. She didn't look at him as she watched Deaton. Peter found himself thinking that if Derek hadn't claimed her, he would have. She was such a good person if not the best he had ever met.

Terrence cuffed him across the head, making him look up. The older twin had obviously seen the look he had cast his sister. He wasn't happy with it so he made it known.

"Where are Scott, Isaac and the twins?" Deaton asked as he fished around in the meaty part of Peter's thigh.

"They went to celebrate with the team," Peter said. He gnashed his teeth at the pain. Thierry had pulled her arm away and he could feel everything once again.

"Call them."

Terrence disappeared around the corner with his cell phone in hand. There was a clink of metal on metal. Thierry handed the vet a roll of gauze and tape. Deaton quickly wrapped Peter's leg and the two helped him sit up on the edge of the metal table. Thierry eyed him for a few minutes until he made eye contact. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm fine," he replied.

"Well, considering you've got a hole in your leg, I say you're not fine," she replied. "What happened?"

Peter spilled his guts about what he had gone through in the last hour. He sounded really whiny but that was normal for him nowadays. He wanted to be the normal person he was when he was a teenager, even if that means undermining his sister's authority. Unfortunately, Thierry and Terrence could see right through him, especially Thierry. He spent the most time with her and she could read him like a book. So when his emotions got the better of him and he started clawing at the table, she buried her hand in his hair and gave a sharp tug. To anyone else, it was an intimate gesture, but to them it was a show that he trusted her when he trusted no one else.

He looked up at her when her hand dropped. "I'm sorry but your motorcycle is just a heap of metal. I hit a ditch and it was warped."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I have insurance. I'm just glad that you were wearing a helmet. There's no telling what would have happened if you hadn't.'

"He would have had significant brain damage," Deaton said.

"More so than he already has," Stiles said as he walked into the room. He hopped up on the metal table and began swinging his legs. "What's so important you had to drag us away from ice cream?"

"Peter was shot," Thierry said. "With a wolfsbane silver bullet."

"Hunters?" Scott asked.

"That's what I'm thinking. With the Argents out of the game, it brings on new levels of hell," Terrence said. Isaac lifted his hand. "What?"

The young wolf pointed. "Why does Peter have his pants off?"

"Because, nimrod, I was shot in the leg. I had to take them off to get the bullet out," Peter replied.

"If I remember correctly, I was the one who took your pants off. Not like that," Terrence corrected immediately when Stiles opened his mouth to say something.

"I called Derek." Everyone looked at him. "No answer." He watched Thierry pace away from him and move to Stiles. The young human wrapped his arms around her neck as she sat in front of him.

"Derek needs time to heal. You might want to leave him alone," Deaton said.

"He has someone here who needs him more," Terrence replied.

Thierry waved her hand. "What do you think, Allen? What should we do?"

Deaton turned around and picked up the bullet. He tossed it to her. "Tell me what you see."

The twins looked at the bullet carefully. Then they looked at each other and closed their eyes. One of the famous silent moments passed between them where they talked telepathically. They had asked if they had telepathy but they always denied it. No one seemed to believe it.

"Where are you going?" Stiles asked when the woman stood.

"Give me a week," she said.

"Tell Joseph I said hi," Terrence said.

Peter watched his one ally walk out of the room. Terrence walked over and jerked him up. He slapped at his hand then tottered on his bad leg. "Stop manhandling me."

"Quit bitching and put your pants on."

The older wolf would have snarled but he had no one to defend him if a fight broke out. He struggled into his jeans, grimacing as he pulled them over his thigh. He leaned against the table to give his leg a break.

"What do you suggest?" Scott asked.

"Keep Peter out of sight. They seem to be targeting him," Deaton replied.

"Do you think that they think he is an Alpha?" Ethan asked.

"They might, but they could just be targeting Hale werewolves."

"That means they'll go after Derek and Cora," Stiles said.

"Possibly, but no one can tell. What did the bullet have on it?" Allison asked.

"O.C." Terrence replied. "It belongs to an O'Callahan. The Argent family had a member marry into the O'Callahan family. I think it was your great-aunt, Allison."

"Great. More Argents," Peter said.

Scott shook his head. "Go home and shut up."

The older man rolled his shoulders. "I need a ride home. I kind of totaled Thierry's bike."

"She's going to kill you," Stiles said as he jumped up and fished his keys from his pocket.

"She seemed fine with it. She was happier that I was alive."

"I'll take you home."

No one said a word as Stiles slipped Peter's arm over his shoulder and took the brunt of his weight. Peter didn't argue as he stumbled from the room with the teen under him.


	2. Chapter 2

Peter stared out the windows of the loft. His leg had healed just fine. Now he was left standing in the empty apartment. Thierry had been gone for over a week and no one had heard anything from her. Stiles might have but the kid had been secluded from him for the last two days. He had brought food over the last time because he figured the older werewolf needed it. Since then he had been a no show.

He had been shunned by the entire pack for the last week. No one called him. No one came to see about him. He had no idea what was going on. Terrence, the one person he thought would have enough sense, hadn't called. The younger werewolf was now in charge of the pack with his sister gone. Peter was pack so why wasn't he involved in all of this?

He could justify why he wasn't. They didn't trust him, and with good reason. He had done some really underhanded things since he had come back to life. Well, they really started when he turned Scott. He had gotten a reprieve when Thierry and Terrence showed up. It gave Derek someone else to fight with. But with both gone, Peter was left to his own devices.

He pulled his phone from his pocket when it vibrated.

_P, _

_Joseph needs someone to go on a hunt for him. The newbie is stupid so he's asked me to go as an advisor. I won't be back until this is over. Then I plan on going to find your wayward nephew and beat some sense into him. So all in all, you're on your own. Don't destroy my house._

_T _

Peter gritted his teeth and shoved his phone back in his pocket. No matter how far the twins got from their original pack, they were always called back. They always went. It never failed. The last one had Terrence going as far as New York on a hunt. They did whatever Joseph asked.

Thunder clapped and Peter watched the rain hit the window then slide down. Storms didn't bother him as they did other people. They gave him a lot of trouble when he was on a hunt or something. The scent of his prey was masked during storms.

He turned around when the front door slid open. He looked at Stiles as he walked in. The teenager turned around and waved slightly before he came into the room. He walked straight over to the table and dropped a plastic bag on the surface. He snapped his fingers once. Peter ground his teeth together but didn't say anything.

"What has brought you here today?" he asked as he picked through the food in the bag.

"I thought you might be hungry. Plus you need to know what was said at the meeting today," Stiles replied as he sat down. "Terrence is walking. He's leaving us alone while he goes back to wherever he was before. Lydia's pissed. None of us know if he's coming back. No one's heard from Thierry and Derek is still MIA. Deaton wants the others to relax but I don't think there's time. Allison said something about another group of hunters coming to town. She said her dad's trying his best to keep them away but I don't think it's going to work."

Peter looked up as he finished off a small bag of chips. "What do you mean?"

"I think these people are going to be doped up on steroids or something. Allison said that she only met them once and that they bothered her. She said it was something about the way they treated their captures."

"It can't be any worse than Gerard."

"I'm pretty sure it can be. We don't know anything about these people. With the twins and Derek gone, I'm afraid we won't have a fighting chance."

The older Hale looked at the sheriff's son. "What am I? Chopped liver?"

Stiles canted his head in a haughty manner with an Are-You-Serious look on his face. "Really? This coming from the man who always has underhanded tricks under his sleeves? Face it, Peter. No one likes or trusts you as far as they can throw you."

"Then why are you here?"

The young man ran his hand through his short hair. "Before she left Thierry told me to look after you. She said that you were the only one who knew anything about this and that I should protect you."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "You protect me?"

"I didn't say it made any sense or that I want to do it, but Thierry has never lied to me before so I believe her. If you know anything and don't say it, the others will pounce on you. She doesn't want that. For some reason she trusts you."

"We're both confused on that one," he murmured.

Stiles didn't pity the other man. He had done things to make everyone hate him. He had too many underhanded tricks that he resorted to when he was pushed into a corner. Most of the time he just wanted to be back on top and in doing so, he ostracized himself. It was really a sad way to live. He should really respect Thierry and the way she stood up for him. He never heard any of the good things she said about him. He really had a good person in his corner.

"There's another pack meeting tonight," he said as he stood up. Peter watched him shove his phone back in his pocket. "I expect you to be there."

"Why? So I can get thrown out?"

"No one's going to throw you out. I won't let them."

Peter didn't buy the promise as the kid walked out the door. Stiles gave him a meaningful look as he slid the door closed. Gritting his teeth, he picked up his discarded phone and began typing an angry message.

_T, _

_You're an idiot! What do you think you're doing by placing Stiles in charge of protecting me? The kid can barely control his fire powers. What's he supposed to do? Burn me? This is stupid!_

_P _

He really didn't expect a reply but was shocked when one came in immediately.

_P, _

_I trust Stiles to watch out for you. I have a really bad feeling that something's going to happen and I'd feel better if someone was watching out for you. The pack won't do anything against you. They're too busy with their own crap. Just sit back but stay on guard._

_T _

He sighed. There was nothing that that woman wouldn't do for family. He was family now since she was with Derek and he had to accept that. He looked at the clock. He had a little time to kill before he had to go to the pack meeting. It also gave him time to steel himself for what was about to come.

Scott stood at the door of Stiles' house and scowled at the man on the other side. Peter didn't look like he wanted to be here and Scott didn't want him there. Nowhere in the agreement did he say he would watch out for Peter. For all he knew, the man was plotting something this instant as he stood in front of him.

Peter scratched his head as he met Scott's scowl with one of his own. This was not going to be a good night. If the new Alpha was already mad at him, there was no way the others were going to give him a shot. No matter what Thierry said, he was staying out of this young pack for a reason. They didn't trust him and he really didn't blame them. He had done a lot of crappy things.

"Why are you here?" Scott asked.

"It's not like I want to be so you might as well get used to it," Peter replied.

"I didn't invite you so why don't you leave."

"Scott," Stiles shoved his best friend out of the way, "leave him alone. Come on in, Peter."

Scott stared at his friend as Peter walked by him. "What are you doing, Stiles?"

"He has to come in."

"Why?"

"Thierry said."

Scott gritted his teeth and watched the two walk by him. Thierry saying things made it harder for him to say anything. Since Derek wasn't an Alpha anymore, it fell to Thierry and Terrence. They had deferred their roles to Scott but that didn't mean that they didn't do or say things that trumped his authority. In this instance they had and it made him a little angry.

The comfortable chatting stopped as soon as Peter entered the room. Stiles didn't say anything as he and Peter sat down. He knew the group wasn't going to be happy but he had to do it. His hands started to itch and he looked down at the marks on his hands. They hadn't disappeared since the day he saved his dad. Luckily Deaton had helped him control the bouts of fire that escaped him every now and then, especially after he set his couch on fire.

He watched everyone go from one extreme to the other. Lydia just stared at Peter with an angry look. She still hadn't forgiven him for using her as a pawn. Aidan sat beside her with a curious look. He wasn't sure what was going on but he knew that Peter had attacked him and his twin. Ethan didn't say anything because he had Danny sitting beside him. The human didn't know what was going on with the pack. He had just found out about the pack and they wanted to keep him out of the loop. Allison and Isaac just sent the man death glares the entire time.

Stiles was quiet when the door opened again. This time it was Deaton who had come in. The vet wasn't surprised to see Peter there. He must have talked to Thierry as well. Scott took his place beside Deaton and everyone waited for the meeting to begin.

"Well," Peter said, "why doesn't someone start talking?"

"Shut up," Isaac said. Peter raised an eyebrow at him. "You weren't invited in the first place. And I don't think you should be here since your only alliance is with your nephew's mate. Not even Terrence likes you so shut up."

"I don't even want to be here."

"Then why are you here?"

"Thierry said he has to be here," Stiles said.

"She's not here so why do you have to listen?" Allison said.

"It's because of the bond," Deaton replied. "He doesn't have to listen to her but because they are so tightly connected, he wants to. Plus Peter can be an asset."

"You think Peter can be an asset?" Scott asked. "How the hell is that supposed to happen?"

"He's so underhanded that he could make deals for you."

Peter narrowed his eyes at the veterinarian. There was no way he knew what was going on. He hadn't been near the nemetan when everything went down. He had been the one to help the others find the stupid trunk. Deaton didn't know. He couldn't know.

But he knew. There was only one person who could tell him because only one person knew and she wasn't here.

"You know about the new hunters don't you?" Allison asked.

Deaton nodded. "As emissary I have to know. It's my job."

"What do you know then?" Stiles asked.

"These are super hunters. They have never left a werewolf or anything else alive when they've gone after it. They have set their sights on Beacon Hills because they heard about everything that's gone on in the last year. Three Alphas have returned to Betas, one Beta has ascended to an Alpha, and two Alphas are dead. That is really unheard of for one space."

"So they're coming to take us out? That makes no sense. We haven't done anything," Aidan said.

"All hunters are trained to think that werewolves are evil. They hunt the creatures no matter whether they are decent or demented like Deucalion," Allison replied.

"Precisely. From what I've heard, they were trained from birth and their training is even more intense than Allison's. I've heard some rumors that they are under strict regulation," Deaton said.

"Let me guess," Peter said. "You want me to go undercover and find her?" Deaton tilted his head. "Yeah, like they wouldn't recognize a werewolf right off the bat."

"You won't be going alone though." Everyone looked at Deaton like he had grown another head. "Stiles will go with you and pretend to be your son."

Stiles and Peter stared at each other. If they didn't have a choice they would go along with it, but Peter knew. He knew the kid still thought of him as a psycho killer even though he had been around him for the last couple of months. He was probably right though, especially when he thought back.

"Do you want to do this?" Stiles asked.

"I don't think we have a choice," he replied. He turned his head to the others. "Do we?"

Deaton shook his head. "No, you don't. The sooner we infiltrate their base, the sooner we can deal with them. Peter, Stiles will be an asset to you as you are to him. Where he can't use brute force, he can use the fire that those flowers on his palms afford him. Between the two of you, you should be fine."

He watched the two look at each other again. Now that they didn't have a choice in what they did, it made them a little less reluctant to work with each other. Stiles nodded and disappeared up the stairs. There was slight mumbling as he talked to his dad then he went into his room. Peter knew what the kid was up to. He was going ahead with this plan so he didn't back out later.

When he came down the stairs he had his backpack thrown over his shoulder. He had a pillow grasped in one hand and another bag in the other. He was ready to go. John's form made a shadow from the top of the stairs. Stiles stopped in front of them.

"Well, let's do this before I change my mind," he said.

Peter stood and grabbed his car keys. "Where do we go from here?"

Deaton reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He placed them in Peter's hand. "They're to an apartment a few blocks from the one you're in now. That's where they live. Be very careful and keep us updated. We will be able to provide backup if there's danger."

"Stiles," Scott said as he watched his best friend walk towards the door. He stopped him. "Be careful. You never know what Peter will do."

Stiles looked at the man in question. "He's not that bad when he has something to fight for. Right now he just wants his friend to come back so he doesn't have to talk to the rest of us."

Peter huffed as he realized the kid knew more than he let on. He was always like that, seeing under the surface even more so than Lydia.

Scott grabbed his friend by the shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. He didn't want to see him leave with the one werewolf no one trusted, but he had to. Stiles was the only one who would watch out for Peter while this was going on.

Stiles pushed away from Scott and wiped at his eyes. "Come on, Peter."

He was out the door when his dad stopped him. "Peter, my boy comes back in one piece or I will bury you under the jail."

"Yeah, I got it," Peter replied. He waved his hand then walked out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, this place is better than the one I have."

Stiles looked over his shoulder at Peter. They had driven a couple blocks from Peter's place to a glamorous apartment complex. The number on the piece of paper they picked up at the front desk said it was paid in full up to three months. They looked at each other, the full meaning of those words falling heavily on them. They would have to be in each other's company for up to three months. That was going to be the hardest thing either of them ever had to do.

The teenager poked around the living room for a few seconds before walking down the hall. He opened the first door to find a massive bedroom. It looked like no one had lived here before. There were two doors on one of the side walls and he was sure that one of them led to the bathroom. Peter brushed by him. That would be his room obviously.

Rolling his eyes he walked down the hall to the second bedroom. This one was almost the size of the other and had a window facing the street. That was convenient in case they needed to make a hasty getaway, not like they were going to. The bathroom and the closet were on opposite ends of each other. Stiles just hoped that he didn't go through the wrong door when he got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

He dropped his bag to the floor of the room and flopped out on the bed. The one thing that Deaton had made clear when they were on the phone with him when they were driving to the apartment was that they were not to contact them. Going three months without talking to Scott was going to be torture if it turned out that way. He was already suffering one withdrawal. He didn't need another. He already felt a little out of control with his hands that he didn't want to feel out of control anymore.

He turned over so he was staring at the ceiling and looked at his hands. The fire flowers had burned permanently into his skin after he saved his father. They were a reminder that he wasn't as defenseless as everyone used to think he was and that he could help his friends whenever they needed him. He didn't like using his newfound powers because they always drained him, but he knew when it came down to life or death he would use them.

Thierry's face popped into his mind. He wished she were the one doing this plan and not Peter. She was for all intents and purposes a Hale now. It should be her and Derek doing this whole thing. But Derek had had enough of feeling useless and Thierry had gone to do something else. She said it was because of this new threat but he had felt the lie. He knew that the mating bond between werewolves was strong, but he didn't realize that one without the other was horrible.

It was becoming harder and harder to have faith in the twins. Something about their disappearance was offsetting. It was hard on all of them, especially Lydia and Stiles. Isaac had formed a deep connection with Thierry as well but he was doing a little better now that he had Allison. That was something no one wanted to touch.

"What should we do for dinner?" Peter asked from his doorway.

Stiles sat up and looked at him. He was leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe but it was all a lie. He didn't want to be here anymore than Stiles did. Sighing, the teenager got up and walked into the kitchen. It was fully stocked. Deaton had done a good job of making sure they had whatever they needed. Pulling random stuff from the fridge, he set about chopping vegetables and a dicing meat for a stew.

Peter watched all of this from his stool at the island. Stiles was still a little on the quiet side which was rare for the boy. He always had a snappy comeback and could always make someone smile. He was that kind of kid. To see him cooking quietly in the kitchen just meant the situation was weighing on his shoulders more than he was going to let on.

He got up and walked over to the corner Stiles was harboring. He turned the teenager around and lifted the hand that wasn't holding the knife. He flipped the hand over so the palm was up. Then he traced the flower on his palm. He went up his wrist until all he saw was white flesh. Stiles leaned against the counter, the knife falling slack in his other hand. This seemed to calm him down a little. He could feel the heat of his skin versus the heat of the tattoo. They were two different temperatures.

"Thi used to do that," he said. He sounded as if he had cotton stuck in the back of his throat. "It always took the heat out of my hands when she did it."

"She probably used her werewolf abilities to take it away," he replied.

Stiles had a goofy smile cross his face. "If anyone walked in right now they'd think something was going one between us."

Peter continued to trace the pattern before him. "Yeah, but we're totally not like that." He let the kid pull his arm away, his hands dropping to his side. "You're going to be okay, Stiles. They're just gone for a little bit."

Stiles turned around and continued preparing dinner. "They lied."

"They lied? What do you mean they lied? We were right there when they pulled the bullet from my leg and when they identified the letters on the bullet. How do you know they lied?"

The teenager turned around after he dumped the rest of the vegetables into the stew pot. "You listen to heartbeats to tell if someone's lying. I watch the eyes. Thierry's eyes stay green most of the time. After she saw the bullet, her eyes were blue for a split second. It was the split second after she lied."

"What about when Terrence said say hi to Joseph for me? Was he lying?"

"No, he was telling the truth, but he lied when he said he had business to attend. Something bigger is going on and they left us here to deal with the aftereffects."

They both paused as there was a knock at the door. Peter held up his hand for silence and they waited. When there was a second knock, he stepped around the counter and went for the door. He peeked through the peephole then turned the deadbolt and wrenched the door open. On the other side stood a young woman about five foot six. She was taller than Lydia but shorter than Thierry. Her dark hair fell in a shower of curls around her face and down her back. Her grey blue eyes looked as if she were in shock, like she hadn't been expecting someone to open the door so soon.

"How can I help you?" Peter asked.

"They said there were new tenants in this room. I didn't think they were telling the truth. This apartment has been empty for about four months," she said.

"I didn't catch your name."

She laughed. "Sorry. My name is Adelaide. Adelaide O'Callahan. My family and I live down the hall."

"I'm Peter Llewellyn. This is my son Stiles."

Adelaide looked around the island and Stiles moved his fingers, careful to keep his palm and wrist hidden. "He doesn't look like you."

"I'm technically his stepfather. I married his mother when he was young and adopted him. Unfortunately she passed away a few years ago. Now it's just me and the kid."

Stiles made a face. "Thanks a lot for that. I'm almost seventeen thank you very much."

"Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

Adelaide snorted at the familiar joke and Peter found himself squinting at her. Something was different but he couldn't quite figure it out. He knew Stiles would have more information so he would grill him once she was gone.

"Well, I just wanted to say welcome to the building. If you need anything, we're the last apartment on this floor." She stepped back from the door and walked away.

Peter shut the door and looked at Stiles. The kid raised his eyebrows and shook his head. He turned back around to check on the stew. He knew something and Peter was going to find out.

"I know you know something," he said as he leaned against the counter once again. "What did you read in her?"

"She's up to something. The name O'Callahan is the name of the Hunter family whose initials were etched on the bullet," Stiles replied. He pulled the pot off the hot burner and put it on a cold one. "They're the ones coming after you."

"So you don't think it's a coincidence that they found me so quickly?" Stiles nodded as he pulled two bowls from the cabinet. "What do you think she's going to do?"

"She'll try to get to know you so she can tell who's who immediately. She'll have someone in the school so they know who I hang out with. That reminds me we have to make sure no one calls me Stilinski while I'm in school. Anyway, after that they will know as much about us as they can then they'll mount an attack. We'll have to be ready no matter what. We can't be caught off guard again."

Peter had to agree with the kid. He thought all of this out in the five minutes he had talked to the girl. That's why he liked having the kid around when crap like this hit the ceiling.

They sat down and dug into the stew that Stiles had the genius to cook up.

"Hey, Addy."

Adelaide smiled as she shut the door behind her. Her family smiled at her as she walked into the living room. Her father and her brothers were gathered around the big oak table they had positioned between the chairs and sofa. Drinks were sitting on the coasters that made sure the condensation didn't dampen the maps spread out across the table.

James, Michael, Seth and Conner sat around the table talking over the maps. James was their father. He was tall with a muscular build that was only surpassed by his sons. Michael, Seth, and Conner were identical triplets. The only ways to tell them apart were moles on their necks. That and Seth always kept a white streak in his hair. He said it made him look sexy. They looked like James in every way imaginable.

Adelaide was the baby of the family. She looked like their mother with the dark hair and blue gray eyes. She was shorter than their mother but it didn't mean she wasn't just like them. She was able to hold her own with her brothers.

"Did you do it?" James asked.

She shed her coat and tossed it to the couch then sank down beside Conner. "Yep. There are two of them, a father and son. I'm sure they know more about what's going on. It would be too easy to question the kid. He's only seventeen. He might be able to shed some light on all of this."

Conner nodded. "Dad's going to be the chemistry professor at the high school. We'll see what we can find there. How many did you say were around here?"

"There should be at least eight in the city. I'm not sure where their den is but it should be somewhere close by. Their emissary has to be here too," Seth said. "From what Gerard Argent said there's a whole pack of them."

"Why would the Argents leave a whole pack alive? It doesn't make sense when it comes to them. They're one of the best Hunter families in the States. The only family better than them are the Alexanders."

"The Alexanders wanted nothing to do with this hunt. We called Eli and he said that he wasn't sending anymore of his people our way," Michael said. "It hurts us because our families have been on good terms. I don't know what happened." He looked at his sister. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see if I can get close to the man down the hall. I think he knows something. I hope I can get him to talk to me. I can learn a lot about this town from the people," she said.

"Make sure you get what we need. The sooner we can get this job done the better," James said.


	4. Chapter 4

"You're a hard person to track."

Derek's head jerked up. He looked around then finally looked up into the trees. He let a small smile grace his face for a brief moment then it fell. He looked around. Cora was by the river catching fish for their meal before they worked out. Training had been all they had done since they had left the pack. It was lonesome but it worked to help them.

He pressed his back against the tree then slid down it to the ground. "I wasn't supposed to be easy to track. I left the country for crying out loud."

"Yeah, you did, but this is me you're talking to. I can track you anywhere." Thierry dropped to the ground. She walked a little ways away from him then turned back to him. "Peter was attacked. He was shot with a rare bullet. I've seen it before because I've worked with its owners. The pack is in danger."

"They're in even more danger if I come back."

"They're in danger because these people are psychically enhanced. You think I'm able to track you? If they lock onto your family's bond, you're as good as dead. Cora too. You have to come back and help me."

"Terrence is back in Beacon Hills. He can watch them."

"Terrence isn't there. He went to Joseph to see if he could put a stop to all of this. I haven't heard anything. Peter and Stiles have started working on a plan to draw them out and find out what they want, but we need your help. I need your help."

Derek hated hearing the whining in her voice. She had never begged for his help before. He had left his pack to protect them and here he was refusing to go back to help. His head snapped to the side as her fist connected with his jaw. It started healing immediately but what wasn't healing was his heart at the look on her face. She was begging him.

"Derek, please. Just come back with me. Come back and help me then you can go as far away as you want. I don't care how far. Please."

When he didn't answer, she dropped to her knees in front of him. He hadn't seen her do that since the night she let one of the Alpha twins beat her in front of him. She didn't let anyone see her like that outside the pack. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it between her own. His heart clenched when she bowed her head over their hands, her hair covering her face.

"Derek, please. I'm begging you. Come back. Help me stop our pack from falling apart. I don't want anyone else to be killed. You've already lost Boyd. I killed my brother. We can't lose any more people we love. So help me. Please!"

He hated this. He slammed his head back into the tree hard enough his ears rang for a few moments. He hated the fact that he couldn't help her. But what killed him more than anything was the fact that his mate was now crying. He covered her hand with his free one and jerked her to him. He buried his hand in her hair and pressed his nose behind her ear.

"I'm sorry. I can't go back," he whispered. "I have to stay here. I'm helping Cora heal. I can't go back."

Thierry lifted her head and stared at him. She didn't say anything as he framed her face, strands of her soft hair slipping through his fingers. He bit his lip, torn between asking her to stay and sending her away. He sucked in a breath as she leaned forward and kissed him. He wanted to melt so badly but that wasn't going to happen.

"Derek?" He looked up as Cora came back to him. "What's going on?"

"Thierry came to ask us to come back. Apparently there's something going on back in Beacon Hills," he said.

"The rest of the pack is being hunted. I don't know if I can stop them. That's why I'm here," Thierry replied as she pulled away from Derek, her hair trailing through his fingers.

"How did you find us?" Cora asked.

"It's easy to track a mate through the bond." Thierry brushed off her pants and stood. She shoved her hands into her pockets and stared down at him. "I'm not leaving the area. I can't until you come back. I promised myself I wouldn't leave until you come with me. This pack is ours. That means it belongs to you and mean, regardless of who the Alpha is. If you leave Stiles and Peter to do this on their own, you sentence them to death. If Stiles dies…" Her eyes flashed blue.

"I get it, but I can't go back."

Thierry bit her lip but nodded. "Then I'll be in the cabin three miles from here."

Cora looked at Derek as the woman disappeared into the woods. "You're really going to let her walk away like that? She came to you asking for help and you said no. How can you do that? I thought the mating bond meant you couldn't say no to her?"

"I had to. You're not at peak physical condition yet and I don't want anything happening to you," he replied.

She scowled at him. "Way to lie."

Derek stood up. "Let's get back to work."

Stiles sat at his desk. It was a couple of minutes before the bell and they had yet to find a new chemistry teacher. There had been many subs come in and out but none of them stayed more than three weeks. This new teacher was their fifth one in the four months since Harris's death.

Scott and Isaac came in and sat in front of the classroom. It hadn't changed. They were still joined at the hip and now that Stiles was staying with Peter for the time being, they had no contact with him at all. They couldn't call him and that made him mad, so mad that sometimes his hands burned.

Lydia walked in with Aidan and sat right beside him. She smiled at him. Out of everyone she was the one who still emailed him every night asking if he needed anything. Every night he said the same thing. He said no. It was getting harder to say no because he so desperately wanted contact outside of school. Deaton's rule was really getting on his nerves.

He ran a hand through his hair and pulled the sleeves of his shirt over his wrists. The red marks on his hands were even brighter. It was like it was a warning that something was going to happen. The burn was at a dull ache right now and that was tolerable.

"Good morning, students," he heard as he stared at his hands. "I know you have had five chemistry teachers in the last four months. I'm here to change that. I will be here until they get a new teacher. My name is James O'Callahan. You can call me Mr. James or Mr. O, it's your choice."

Stiles' head snapped up when he heard the name. There was only one other person he knew as O'Callahan and she had mentioned that she lived with her family. His heart was pounding as he heard role being called, hoping against all hopes that his name wasn't Stilinski on that list.

"Kendall, Kendricks, Kennedy, Kostler, Kostos, Levin." Aidan raised his hand, making the other guy wonder why he had never known the twins' last name. "Llewellyn."

Sighing, Stiles raised his hand. Everyone seemed slightly surprised but didn't comment on it. Everyone knew that things were changing every day so they didn't say much. It seemed that James' gaze seemed to linger on him a little longer than it should.

When class had started, a note suddenly landed on his desk. He looked at Lydia and she nodded her head to the side. Aidan leaned around her and motioned for him to open it. He did.

_What's going on? You're last name is so not Llewellyn. _

He licked his lips and grabbed his pen to write back. As quickly as he could, he scribbled his reply.

_And Peter's not my dad, but it's all for the sake of this mission. I want to keep everyone safe. If this is the only way, so be it._

Aidan's face was one of disbelief as he read it. He was one of the ones who was completely against Stiles and Peter going undercover or into witness protection or whatever it was they were in. Lydia was the only one who could really get in touch with him but that was because no one knew about it.

Thinking about it set his heart racing. He hoped to God that he could pull this off. He didn't want anyone else hurt. Their pack nearly splintered when Derek thought he was going to be with Jennifer. Then Thierry showed up and calmed him down and they fought together. When his father had been taken, that's when everything went downhill. After that Derek and Cora disappeared.

He was somewhat engrossed in the lesson when his phone went off in his jacket pocket. He fumbled to pull it from his pocket without causing too much of a disturbance. When he pulled it out, he set it behind his notebook. His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

_S_

_I can't tell you what's going on, but I need to know you're safe._

_T _

Losing his absolute mind, Stiles typed frantically on his keypad. This might be his last time to contact her for a while and he needed reassurance that she was okay. So he typed whatever he could as fast as he could. He didn't care if it was a jumble of words.

_T_

_Where are you? Please tell me you're okay. I hate doing this without you and Derek. It's no fun. No one's heard from the Sourwolf since he left. No one's heard from Terrence either. We're going crazy, especially Scott. He has no idea what to do. My hands hurt. My head hurts. I don't know what to do or even how to go about doing it when I do figure it out. Please just come home _

_S _

Stiles realized his leg was bouncing uncontrollably as he waited for a response. It had been nearly two weeks since the twins had left and there was still no word on what they were doing. It was odd for the two of them to be out of sync.

His phone went off once again. His heart dropped once he read the message.

_I can't tell you what's going on. It's better if you don't know. Take care of your hands. You can start a wildfire with them. Trust no one, except Peter. _

"You got to be fricking kidding me," he murmured. He stuffed his phone back in his pocket and tried to get on with the rest of class.

When class was over, Aidan and Lydia cornered him in the hallway. Aidan wrapped a hand around his bicep and tugged him into a corner. Ethan must have been down the hall because led Danny right to their corner. The four of them looked at him expectantly.

"You heard from Derek or Terrence didn't you?" Lydia asked.

"It was from Thierry actually. She was checking in," he replied.

"She was checking in after being gone for two weeks?" Aidan asked incredulously.

"I don't know." He ran his hand through his hair rather roughly. "I don't know what to do. She says that I need to watch my hands and make sure that I trust Peter, but I don't know how to do the latter. Gah!"

Lydia grabbed his shoulders as his hands started to burn and probably to glow. "Calm down, Stiles. We can't have you causing a fire in the school."

Danny suddenly grabbed the sleeve of his shirt. "Come with me."

Not knowing what the goalie was going to do, Stiles had no choice but to follow him. Danny wasn't the type to go off the edge like everyone else in the pack, but he did have some things up his sleeve that usually no one thought of. He was dragged to the theatre room.

"What are you doing, Danny?" he asked when the man pulled out a tub of something.

"It's a type of cream that covers tattoos, scars, blemishes and other things of that sort. It can only come off with soap and water and won't rub off on your clothes," he replied as he began to rub some of the goo on his friend's arms.

"How long will it last?"

"Until you wash it off. That's the only way this stuff will come off."

When Danny was done, which was in like three seconds flat, Stiles turned his hands from side to side inspecting them. He couldn't see any of the red that had marked his skin for the last four months. He didn't know whether to be happy or sad. He had gotten used to seeing his hands stained with fire, but in this case it was probably better that he looked normal.

"There," Danny said as he screwed the lid back on the tub. "You look semi normal."

"Semi normal? What does that mean?"

"It means you're only half normal," Ethan said.

"Says the werewolf!"

"Yep, he's back," Lydia said with a smile. She took his hand. "Thierry wants you to be safe. You have to know that."

Stiles dropped his head and nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's just hard."

The girl he had had a crush on for the last sixteen years of his life smiled and grabbed his elbow. She linked her other arm with her boyfriend's and out of the theatre room they went.


End file.
